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Wednesday, 7 June 2017

Rains off a Smoky Sky by Pritam Mandal: a review

It has been a long time that I have read a book and that amounts to a real long time. I am so sorry for doing this to myself but I have been so caught up with other commitments that I couldn't help but not read. That is when I received Rains off a Smoky Sky by Pritam Mandal. The book had something in its cover and also in its blurb that almost broke me off my slumber and read it. So to begin with, I would like to thank the book for bringing me back to reality. Having said that, I would like to tell you what attracted me the most. It was the cover. Yes, written in bold and beautiful letters the title of the book spoke to me. I have always been fond of reading books by debut authors and this book is surely one of them. The rain and the girl (err.. Anurita) on the cover made me fall for the book. So, here is what the back cover says about the book.

According to the back cover- Do you want to work, walk, relax, breathe, smile and cherish your wonderful life under a clear bright blue sky?..Then, under the smoky sky, say a little prayer for the rains of love to wash away the smoke. Strap yourself for an emotional roller coaster ride as you experience Anurita’s world through the pages of her diary. Laugh with Anurita, wipe away her tears, revel in her wisdom and be a part of her life’s conversations. A bold and daring young woman from a little village in India, Anurita chooses to tread the untrodden path, against the dictates of a judgmental society. But she is determined to seek the true meaning of her life at any cost. As she follows her heart all the way to the city and beyond, she is met with turbulences of all kinds. A stunningly handsome middle-aged man stirs in her feelings of love and passion; but her romantic fantasy meets with an abrupt end. And then, in a faraway country, she loses her friends to an unexpected tragedy. Just when everything seems to be going awry and she is about to give up on humanity, it rains. As rains from the smoky sky fall on the Earth, Anurita discovers fireflies in the darkness, dancing on the rain-bathed petals of lovely carnations, the flowers of god.

If I have to speak of the book one of the first things that I have to say is something that these days I often end up saying about the books I receive published by Notion press. That is, commending them on the quality of their books. The cover quality and the paper quality, added on with the feel of the whole book when it comes to touch brings a beautiful feeling. You know what another thing that attracted me towards the book was? The subtitle that says "From Anurita's Diary..."

As I kept flipping through the pages of Anurita (err... Rita's) diary, I felt that at places I am reading about my own life. The feeling of reading about our own life brings forth more interest in the story. The struggle of every village girl is shown in the most realistic way and so has the solution. If you have to say that this book is motivational, then this is because there is nothing that can be more motivational than reading about someone's personal life (even though its fictional) and seeing how that person overcomes what you thought would be very difficult for you.

Perhaps, the book has been written with this in mind where it encourages the young mind to be motivated in life and to know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking of the narration of the book (as I can't say much about the story or protagonist and you would have to read the book to find out about it), it is very simple and that at places gets the pace of the book down a lot of notches. Keeping in mind the fact that the book is written in a diary style, this narration speaks to the audience but for me, it somehow didn't work out.

Also, there are spelling and grammatical errors in the book and I thought that some places has been stretched. Only if, these places weren't as stretched as it is, this would have been the perfect book for today's time. The inner meaning of the book and the underlying intentions that the author wanted to convey is present and that is what makes it roadworthy. Definitely a promising read, I would rate this book 3 out of 5 and would be waiting to read more from the author in the future.